1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a housing for an LED lighting device.
2. Description of the Related Art
LEDs are rapidly becoming a popular source of lighting systems. Using LEDs provide numerous advantages over traditional light bulbs. For example, the size of the LED is dramatically smaller than a typical incandescent bulb, but the luminance of the LED can be just as strong or even greater. Since an LED is a relatively small semiconductor device, lighting fixtures employing these devices will try to optimize the light provided and minimize the space requirements and costs of the device.
LED lighting fixtures have been capable of producing many different lighting effects from incandescent light to fluorescent light and reproducing nearly every color in the spectrum. In producing white light, an LED device will typically comprise of a blue emitting LED that has been covered by a phosphor. The LED will typically be placed in a housing that will have the LED on the bottom with the phosphor coating above the LED. The housing needs to be able to contain the phosphor at the very least while it dries. In addition, electrical conduits must be able to electrically connect the LED to the power supply.
Typically, LEDs will be physically located together to create a lighting solution. Color combinations such as red, green and blue LEDs have been grouped together to effect the different colors in the color scheme. It is advantageous to have these combinations of LEDs placed as close together as possible and minimizing the space requirements on the PCB mounting board.
LEDs can also generate heat that needs to be regulated to ensure that the LED will not burn out. In addition, controlling the temperature of the LED junction point will help to sustain maximum light, life and color consistency. Rapid fluctuations in the temperature can have undesirable effects in an LED lighting as the color and the luminance of light emitted by the LED will also vary greatly with the temperature fluctuations and will be noticed in a lighting fixture that uses LEDs. Thus, these systems utilize a cooling system to regulate the heat generated by the LED. As more powerful (higher wattage) LEDs are being used, the cooling system needs to be efficient to prevent the above mentioned problems.